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Many of you have been asking about this party on Pinterest and I am happy to finally publish it in one place. This past Spring, we celebrated the marriage of my dear friend Stephanie. For her Bachelorette Party, we throw her a “Sexico in Mexico” themed party since they would be heading to Mexico for their honeymoon! It was a great success.

We had some cards available for guests to write advice for the bride. The last game we played was Bridal Scattergories. This is a super fun game, but can go a little slow. We ended up not doing all the FIESTA letters. If you would like to download a copy of this game for free, download BRIDAL SCATTERGORIES (PDF)

And sorry I am bad at figuring out how to format pictures and text. Send me a message if you want more info!

I love fondue. Who wouldn’t love melted cheese to dip various food in. It also indulges my bent toward indecision. Will I dip apple? pretzel? bread? broccoli? chicken nugget? I can do one of each if I so desired. Last April, Jason and I went to the Melting Pot and still drool over the concept of going back. I just can’t bring myself to spent $80-$100 on a dinner of dipping.

But guess what? Fondue is really not that hard to make and you probably already have everything in your refrigerator right now. Or almost everything. This recipe is adapted from Taste Book which is actually adapted from the Melting Pot!

Ingredients:

1 cup of beer (we used Hefeweizen, but I am sure any will do)

3 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar

1 Tablespoon Flour

1 teaspoon Dry Mustard

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix shredded cheese with flour until cheese is evenly coated. This helps it melt easily and thicken.

I decided to try them out today. I definitely made them too round and needed to punch them down a little more. They are also really more like rolls and could easily be made small to go with soup for dinner!

June is full of celebrations with multiple friend and family birthdays and graduations, I could spend a lot of Hallmark cards at the store. Why do that when I can make them for free?! Thanks to my mother for spending many years accruing craft supplies and then bequeathing them to me. I have quite the stash of stamps, paper and other fun stuff so come over anytime for a craft night. Tonight, my dear friend Krista came over for some Funfetti Cake Balls and crafting party (we threw in some country music as well).

Apparently Cake Pops are all the rage these days. My friend Chelsea and I went to Cupcake Royale in the Madrona Neighborhood of Seattle last weekend and I enjoyed a tasty Cake Pop. They didn’t seem too hard: bake a cake, smash it up, cover it in chocolate or something.

There are many ways to make cake pops and you can get a Cake Pop maker at places like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. I came across this recipe from a fellow blogger and figured it would be worth a shot because who doesn’t love Funfetti??

Well, they turned out pretty ugly, but also very delicious. It turns out the stick is a crucial part in making cake pops and I highly recommend purchasing some sticks prior to attempting these now Cake Balls.

Cake Balls

Ingredients:

Cake Mix (I used Funfetti, but you can use any kind)

All ingredients needed for the cake mix (ya know..eggs, water, oil)

1/2 Can Frosting (I highly recommend the Rainbow Chip frosting, its the best)

A bag of White Chocolate Chips

STICKS – I think you can get these at MIchaels, Joanns, etc.

Sprinkles!!!!

Directions:

Make cake as instructed to on the back of the cake box.

Let cake cool a little, then cut it up and place into a bowl.

Using your fork, make the cake into small pieces like bread crumbs.

Add the frosting and mix until it has a dough like consistency.

Form into balls and put onto a plate.

In a microwave safe bowl, place the white chocolate chips and put in the microwave for about 45 seconds.

It is best to dip the stick into the chocolate, then into the pop and then dip it into the chocolate. By dipping the stick first, it helps the cake pop to stay securely on the stick. (I did not do this and had a MESSY experience).

Pour sprinkles over the pops and put in the fridge to cool. Then Enjoy!

Sidenote: you could skip the sticks, dip the balls into the melted chocolate and have balls. This is what I did. Delish.

Photo Caption: I forgot to include carrots in this picture because they were an afterthought.

We decided this week that we would not go to the grocery store or eat out. Jason did cheat yesterday and go to McDonalds, but that is okay. That means we have to eat what we have left over in the fridge and pantry. Challenge accepted.

As of this morning, we were down to celery and 5 red potatoes in the produce door. Combine that with a freezer of varies frozen vegetables and we may actually be able to do it. After some quick research, I found this Crockpot Corn Chowder and had somewhere to start. With a few modifications (I don’t have any onions or coriander), this recipe turned out delicious and filling and quick the impressive adventure if you ask me. Enjoy and feel free to modify it to what you have in your freezer/fridge pantry.

Ingredients:

5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup cream (I used heavy whipping cream I had left over from Fondue a month ago. score)

1 can (10 oz) Cream of Mushroom Soup (or any other Cream of Chicken/Celery would work)

5 small red potatoes, cubed

2-3 ribs of celery, sliced

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup diced carrots

Kielbasa or other smoked meat, cut into thin slices ( I didn’t use the whole package and wish I did)

1 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tsp ground pepper, or to taste

Dash of Parsley

Dash of Cumin

Dash of Onion Powder

Dash of Garlic Powder

Dash of Thyme

As you can see, the spices are really up to you and what you like. Don’t overdue it, since you can always add more at the end.

Put everything in the crockpot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Test it and add additional spices as needed. ENJOY!

Sorry my picture doesn’t look very appetizing, I am not a photographer. This soup was delicious and I am excited to eat it for lunch tomorrow. 🙂